PFLUGERVILLE, Texas —
Pflugerville Independent School District is hosting a school supply giveaway event, Hope Pfest, on Saturday morning at Connally High School.
Hope Pfest is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and will go until noon.
It's the first year for the event, and representatives from the district said they want to make it a community event that will be a one-stop-shop for families.
"I hope it kind of sets them out at ease and not have them so worried about school," said Dana Wilcott, Pflugerville ISD's Family Services Center coordinator and event organizer. "But most importantly for the kids, I hope they get excited about going to school. I can't wait to see their faces with their backpacks full of school supplies. They have what they need, and they're ready to start."
School supplies, backpacks, free haircuts, books and more will be provided at the event. There will also be resources to help families with medical insurance, and the health department will be on-hand giving out immunizations and vaccines.
Attendees can also enjoy entertainment like games, music and food trucks.
Wilcott said this event is important because the district has had an increase of nearly 50% of its students who qualify for free or reduced lunch, so it wants to help cover as much of the cost as it can.
"As a single mom with two kids, I know that anything that comes as an extra bill will throw your entire monthly bill off. So we want to be able to kind of offset some of those costs by providing them what they need," Wilcott said.
There will also be a section where each school in the district will have a table set up to meet-and-greet with students.
Organizers ask that every student bring a student identification or proof of registration. The district can also look students up or get them registered when they arrive.
Additionally, there will be someone at the event talking about current job openings at Pflugerville ISD.